Prayer for the Morning
Come, let us adore the Lord with his holy martyrs!
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 Lawrence was led out to die,
Love made him prodigal of life,
No armor would he use but faith
Against the persecutor’s strife.
The first of seven chosen men
Selected at the pope’s behest,
A deacon’s office to fulfill,
In virtue he surpassed the rest.
He was a leader in the fight
Although no sword hung by his side,
And with a smile in face of death,
He could the torturer deride.
PSALM 116:1-9
Out of my distress I called to the Lord,/ and he answered me. (Jon 2:3)
Saint Lawrence, deacon and martyr, preached the Gospel by his love for the poor, his courage under torture by fire, and his unswerving love for Christ.
I love the Lord for he has heard
the cry of my appeal;
for he turned his ear to me
in the day when I called him.
They surrounded me, the snares of death,
with the anguish of the tomb;
they caught me, sorrow and distress.
I called on the Lord’s name.
O Lord my God, deliver me!
How gracious is the Lord, and just;
our God has compassion.
The Lord protects the simple hearts;
I was helpless so he saved me.
Turn back, my soul, to your rest
for the Lord has been good;
he has kept my soul from death,
my eyes from tears
and my feet from stumbling.
I will walk in the presence of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Glory to the Father….
Word of God (Isaiah 43:1b-2)
Fear not, for I have redeemed you;/ I have called you by name: you are mine./ When you pass through the water, I will be with you;/ in the rivers you shall not drown./ When you walk through fire, you shall not be burned;/ the flames shall not consume you.
Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
(cf. Ps 31:6)
CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH
As Christ’s sufferings overflow to us, so through Christ does our encouragement also overflow. (2 Cor 1:5)
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
Let us put our trust in the all-powerful love of Christ our Savior:
R/Hear the cry of our appeal!
You call deacons to be servants of your word and your table:
– inspire in them a deep love for prayer, for preaching, and for the poor. R/
You took your place among those caught by sorrow and distress:
– fill all deacons with compassion for the sick and the suffering. R/
You are the courage of martyrs:
– protect those whose ministry takes them into dark and dangerous places. R/
(Personal intentions)
Our Father….
O Lord, the fire of your love filled the martyr Saint Lawrence with the courage to defy the fear of death for the sake of the Gospel. Grant all your people the grace to love as he loved, to live as he lived, and to die in the faith for which he died, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
