Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Prayer for the Morning
The Lord is always with us.
Let us praise him with joy!
Glory to the Father…. Alleluia!
HYMN
Father, who didst fashion me
Image of thyself to be,
Fill me with thy love divine,
Let my every thought be thine.
Holy Jesus, may I be
Dead and buried here with thee;
And, by love inflamed, arise
Unto thee a sacrifice.
Thou, who dost all gifts impart,
Shine, sweet Spirit, in my heart;
Best of gifts thyself bestow;
Make me burn thy love to know.
God, the blessèd Three in One,
Dwell within my heart alone;
Thou dost give thyself to me;
May I give myself to thee.
PSALM 23
Do not be conquered by evil but conquer evil with good. (Rom 12:21)
By the grace of baptism we are bound to the Holy Trinity in a very special way. May we be conscious of this great grace and seek to grow ever closer in this union of love. Thus we will live always under the protection of the love of Christ, from which no adversity can separate us.
The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures
where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me,
to revive my drooping spirit.
He guides me along the right path;
he is true to his name.
If I should walk in the valley of darkness
no evil would I fear.
You are there with your crook and your staff;
with these you give me comfort.
You have prepared a banquet for me
in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil;
my cup is overflowing.
Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me
all the days of my life.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell
for ever and ever.
Glory to the Father….
Word of God (Jeremiah 32:37b-41)
I will […] settle them here in safety. They shall be my people, and I will be their God. One heart and one way I will give them, that they may fear me always, to their own good and that of their children after them. I will make with them an eternal covenant, never to cease doing good to them; into their hearts I will put the fear of me, that they may never depart from me. I will take delight in doing good to them: I will replant them firmly in this land, with all my heart and soul.
They ascended Mount Zion in joy and gladness
and offered holocausts, because not one of them had fallen; they had returned in safety. (1 Mc 5:54)
CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH
The name of the Lord is a strong tower;/ the just man runs to it and is safe. (Prv 18:10)
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
We want to be in the loving embrace of God at all times. We pray:
R/Keep us safe, O Lord!
When we have trouble seeing the right way,
– lead us in the right path. R/
When we are frightened,
– comfort us. R/
When we need to take risks,
– give us courage. R/
(Personal intentions)
Our Father….
God our Father, you are closer to us than we can even imagine. Enlighten our hearts and hold us close in your embrace. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
