Prayer for the Morning, MAY 26 Saint Philip Neri
Let us rejoice in the Lord always, alleluia.
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!
HymnMeter: CM
This hymn can be sung to the tune used for
Where Charity and Love Prevail
Dear father Philip! holy sire!
We are poor sons of thine,
Thy last and least—then to our prayers
A father’s ear incline.
By haughty word, cold force of mind,
We seek not hearts to rule;
Hearts win the hearts they seek! Behold
The secret of our school!
By winning way, by playful love,
Our wonders will we do—
The playfulness of such as know
Their faith alone is true.
By touch and tone, by voice and eye,
By many a little wile,
May cold and sin-bound spirits own
In us our father’s guile.
Dear father Philip! give to us
Thy manners gay and free,
Thy patient trust, thy plaint of prayer,
Thy deep simplicity.
Psalm 33:1-5
A cheerful glance brings joy to the heart. (Prv 15:30)
To have a sense of humor is to be wise enough to see things in proportion. Saint Philip Neri was noted for his ability to be cheerful and to laugh from the depths of his burning love for the crucified Christ and to win other hearts for Christ by the quality of his joy.
Ring out your joy to the Lord, O you just;
for praise is fitting for loyal hearts.
Give thanks to the Lord upon the lyre,
with a ten-stringed harp sing him songs.
O sing him a song that is new,
play loudly, with all your skill.
For the word of the Lord is faithful
and all his works to be trusted.
The Lord loves justice and right
and fills the earth with his love.
Glory to the Father….
Word of God (Romans 14:17-19)
The kingdom of God is not a matter of food and drink, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the holy Spirit; whoever serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by others. Let us then pursue what leads to peace and to building up one another.
With him are wisdom and might;/ his are counsel and understanding.(Jb 12:13)
Canticle of Zechariah
Fear of the Lord warms the heart,/ giving gladness and joy and length of days. (Sir 1:10)
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 inflamed the heart of Saint Philip Neri with joyful and self-sacrificing love. Through his intercession let us pray:
R/Give joy to your people, O Lord.
Lighten our hearts of the burdens of anxiety and fear. R/
Enliven our Gospel living with the leaven of joy rooted in faith. R/
Illumine the world around us by the gift of your love radiating through us. R/
Personal intentions
Our Father….
O Shepherd of your flock, the Church, you have blessed your people with the self-forgetful joy of Saint Philip Neri. Make us wise, that we may see the bright and dark moments of this day as you see them, and grow in a sense of proportion dictated by the values of your Kingdom, who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.
