Saint John of the Cross
Prayer for the Morning
The Lord of hosts is with us:
come, let us adore!
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
Hail Carmel’s Doctor, great Saint John,
Raising your standard of the Cross,
Leading our spirits daily on
To heavenly gain from earthly loss!
Lit by a living flame of love,
Guide of our Mother’s founding zeal,
E’en though th’ascent at times be steep,
Dark night will fade on Carmel’s peak.
Your burning canticles of praise
Tell how the Father-God above
Spoke his eternal saving Word,
Spoke through the Spirit of their Love.
PSALM 46
They found abundant and good pastures, and the land was spacious, quiet, and peaceful. (1 Chr 4:40)
In his exploration of the movement through the dark night of the soul to union with God, Saint John used the imagery of a house grown still and silent to describe the soul so centered in God by prayer that it is free to leave the self behind and become absorbed in the presence of the promised Prince of Peace. From this inward stillness flows the outward peace for which the world longs.
God is for us a refuge and strength,
a helper close at hand, in time of distress:
so we shall not fear though the earth should rock,
though the mountains fall into the depths of the sea,
even though its waters rage and foam,
even though the mountains be shaken by its waves.
The Lord of hosts is with us:
the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
The waters of a river give joy to God’s city,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within, it cannot be shaken;
God will help it at the dawning of the day.
Nations are in tumult, kingdoms are shaken:
he lifts his voice, the earth shrinks away.
The Lord of hosts is with us:
the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Come, consider the works of the Lord,
the redoubtable deeds he has done on the earth.
He puts an end to wars over all the earth;
the bow he breaks, the spear he snaps.
He burns the shields with fire.
“Be still and know that I am God,
supreme among the nations, supreme on the earth!”
The Lord of hosts is with us:
the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Glory to the Father….
Word of God (Isaiah 33:20, 22)
Look to Zion, the city of our festivals;/ let your eyes see Jerusalem/ as a quiet abode, a tent not to be struck,/ Whose pegs will never be pulled up,/ nor any of its ropes severed.
Indeed the Lord will be there with us, majestic;/ yes, the Lord our judge, the Lord our lawgiver,/ the Lord our king, he it is who will save us.
The Lord of hosts is with us:/
the God of Jacob is our stronghold. (Ps 46:8)
CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH
When peaceful stillness compassed everything/ and the night in its swift course was half spent,/ Your all-powerful word bounded to earth from heaven’s royal throne. (cf. Wis 18:14-15)
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
In peace let us pray:
R/You are a helper close at hand in time of distress.
From outward turmoil and inner disturbance:
– deliver us, O Lord. R/
From quarreling in our homes and war among nations:
– deliver us, O Lord. R/
From the bustle that keeps us from prayer in this busy season:
– deliver us, O Lord. R/
(Personal intentions)
Our Father….
O God of peace, you sent Saint John to teach the way to inner silence and outward peace. Through his intercession, renew in your Church a deep spirit of prayer as we prepare to welcome your Word, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
