Prayer for the Morning (Thursday, November 4)

Saint Charles Borromeo

Prayer for the Morning

Come, let us praise the Lord our God,

as we recall Saint Charles!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning,

is now, and will be forever. Amen. Alleluia!

HYMN

God’s perfect law revives the human soul,

His faithful precepts make the simple wise;

His clear commands give light to darkened eyes.

To be desired far more than treasured gold;

More sweet than honey are the words of God:

And by their truth am I, your servant, warned;

To keep them is to find a great reward.

So keep me free from every open sin;

Against all secret failings be my guard:

My words and thoughts be such as make you glad,

My Rock, my strong Redeemer, and my Lord.

PSALM 15

The righteous must still do right, and the holy still be holy. (Rv 22:11)

As both a civil and a canon lawyer, as well as a bishop, Saint Charles understood the pastoral work of law-giving according to the model of Christ. His unflagging efforts to promote Christian life and Church reform were prompted by a profoundly self-sacrificing love of Christ living in the Church.

Lord, who shall be admitted to your tent

and dwell on your holy mountain?

He who walks without fault;

he who acts with justice

and speaks the truth from his heart;

he who does not slander with his tongue;

he who does no wrong to his brother,

who casts no slur on his neighbor,

who holds the godless in disdain,

but honors those who fear the Lord;

he who keeps his pledge, come what may;

who takes no interest on a loan

and accepts no bribes against the innocent.

Such a man will stand firm forever.

Glory to the Father….

Word of God (Deuteronomy 4:5-8)

Therefore, I teach you the statutes and decrees as the Lord, my God, has commanded me, that you may observe them in the land you are entering to occupy. Observe them carefully, for thus will you give evidence of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations, who will hear of all these statutes and say, “This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.” For what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the Lord, our God, is to us whenever we call upon him? Or what great nation has statutes and decrees that are as just as this whole law which I am setting before you today?

Zeal for your house consumed him. (cf. Ps 69:10)

CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH

Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. (Rom 12:11)

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

Through the intercession of Saint Charles, let us pray for the Church to which he devoted his life:

R/Renew us in your love!

For all pastors and Church administrators:

– grant them the gifts of discernment and charity in all their decisions. R/

For all canon lawyers:

– grant them the wisdom to know the true meaning of the law. R/

For all parishes:

– grant them a fervent life of prayer and good works for the sake of your kingdom. R/

(Personal intentions)

Our Father….

O God of justice and of mercy, you guided Saint Charles Borromeo in promoting the full life of the Church in times of uncertainty and controversy. Through his intercession, continue to renew the Church today to seek the peace of your Kingdom for all people, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

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