Prayer for the Morning
Let us praise Christ, the living tree!
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
When Christ’s appearing was made known,
King Herod trembled for his throne;
But he who offers heavenly birth
Sought not the kingdom of this earth.
The eastern sages saw from far
And followed on his guiding star;
By light their way to Light they trod,
And by their gifts confessed their God.
Within the Jordan’s sacred flood
The heavenly Lamb in meekness stood,
That he, to whom no sin was known,
Might cleanse his people from their own.
And O what miracle divine,
When water reddened into wine!
He spoke the word, and forth it flowed
In streams that nature ne’er bestowed.
All glory, Jesus, be to thee
For this thy glad epiphany:
Whom with the Father we adore
And Holy Ghost forevermore.
Psalm 1
This is the one who came through water and blood, Jesus Christ, not by water alone, but by water and blood. The Spirit is the one that testifies, and the Spirit is truth. (1 Jn 5:6)
As we prepare to celebrate the mystery of Christ’s baptism, we remember that the Spirit of God who descended upon Jesus at his baptism in the waters of the Jordan came upon us through the waters of our baptism, cleansing us as the leper was cleansed, and grafting us onto Christ, the living Vine and Tree of Life.
Happy indeed is the man
who follows not the counsel of the wicked;
nor lingers in the way of sinners
nor sits in the company of scorners,
but whose delight is the law of the Lord
and who ponders his law day and night.
He is like a tree that is planted
beside the flowing waters,
that yields its fruit in due season
and whose leaves shall never fade;
and all that he does shall prosper.
Not so are the wicked, not so!
For they like winnowed chaff
shall be driven away by the wind.
When the wicked are judged they shall not stand,
nor find room among those who are just;
for the Lord guards the way of the just
but the way of the wicked leads to doom.
Glory to the Father….
Word of God. Revelation 22:1-2
Then the angel showed me the river of life-giving water, sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of its street. On either side of the river grew the tree of life that produces fruit twelve times a year, once each month; the leaves of the trees serve as medicine for the nations.
I am like a growing olive tree/ in the house of God.
(Ps 52:10)
Canticle of Zechariah
God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. (1 Jn 5:11)
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
As members of Christ we pray:
R/Hear your children, Lord!
You came to win all hearts to serve you:
– make us faithful and loving disciples. R/
You came as the living Vine and Tree of Life:
– make us fruitful branches. R/
You came that we might have life in abundance:
– make us grow ever more deeply into our communion with you. R/
Personal intentions
Our Father….
God our Father, you sent your Son to bring light and life to all peoples. Manifest your love, by the power of the Spirit, in your Church throughout the world, that all may come to the source of life through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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