PRAYER FOR THIS MORNING (MONDAY, JANUARY 25)

The Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle

Prayer for the Morning

The heavens proclaim the glory of God:

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

From heaven’s height Christ spoke to call

The Gentiles’ great Apostle, Paul,

Whose doctrine, like the thunder, sounds

To the wide world’s remotest bounds.

O bliss of Paul, beyond all thought,

To paradise, yet living, caught!

He hears the heavenly mysteries there,

Which mortal tongue cannot declare.

The word’s good seed abroad he flings;

Straight’way a mighty harvest springs,

And fruits of holy deeds supply

God’s everlasting granary.

The lamp his burning faith displays

Has filled the world with glorious rays;

That darkness’ realm may be o’erthrown,

And Christ may reign, and reign alone.

PSALM 19:2-7

A great light from the sky suddenly shone around me. (Acts 22:6)

Paul literally saw the light on the road to Damascus. The love of the risen Christ transformed him and impelled him to illumine the whole world by the light of the Gospel.

The heavens proclaim the glory of God

and the firmament shows forth the work of his hands.

Day unto day takes up the story

and night unto night makes known the message.

No speech, no word, no voice is heard

yet their span extends through all the earth,

their words to the utmost bounds of the world.

There he has placed a tent for the sun;

it comes forth like a bridegroom coming from his tent,

rejoices like a champion to run its course.

At the end of the sky is the rising of the sun;

to the furthest end of the sky is its course.

There is nothing concealed from its burning heat.

Glory to the Father….

Word of God (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures; that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the ­scriptures.

Go into the whole world and proclaim

the gospel to every creature. (Mk 16:15)

CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH 

The God of our ancestors designated you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear the sound of his voice; for you will be his witness before all to what you have seen and heard. (Acts 22:14-15)

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

Jesus Christ, the risen Lord, sends the word of light into a world of darkness to enlighten, to transform, to heal, and to save. With grateful joy, we pray:

R/In your light we see light.

Lord Jesus Christ, you turned Saint Paul’s zeal for the way of his ancestors into zeal for you, who are the Way and the Truth:

– open the minds of all people of good will to receive your transforming word. R/

Lord Jesus Christ, you called Saint Paul out of darkness into your marvelous light:

– enlighten all those who hate and persecute in the name of religious righteousness. R/

Lord Jesus Christ, you sent Saint Paul to preach the Good News to unbelievers:

– send eloquent preachers among the unchurched, the unconvinced, the indifferent. R/

Lord Jesus Christ, you commissioned Saint Paul to bring new life to Jew and Gentile, man and woman, slave and free:

– speak the word of life and love to all who dwell apart from you and are hostile to one another. R/

(Personal intentions)

Our Father….

Great God of glory, you called Saint Paul to preach the Gospel to all nations. By the power of the Gospel he preached, draw all peoples to yourself, through Christ our Lord. Amen.