PRAYER FOR THIS MORNING (THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22)
Saint John Paul II
Prayer for the Morning
Christ is our light: 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
O sister dawn, how light your touch;
How bright your face upon the earth!
Awakened are we all to life
As you call us from sleep’s small death.
You, sister, graced that Easter morn,
When Life, entombed, was lost from sight.
You roused the women with their spice
And guided them to greet the Light!
Your dawning opens wide our eyes;
Our talents are awakened, too!
Our hands, so grasping, rest has freed
To welcome gifts we never knew.
With dawn and all the gifts of day,
We praise you, Abba, Breath and Word:
A world so prodigal and free
Reveals your loving hand, O God!
PSALM 19:2-7
For you who fear my name, there will arise/ the sun of justice with its healing rays. (Mal 3:20)
Saint John Paul II liked to quote Saint Augustine: “We are an Easter people and Alleluia is our song!” Through years of painful unity with Christ’s cross, he focused always on the Resurrection. Just as every Sunday is a little Easter, so is every single sunrise a reminder of God’s glorious victory over sin and death.
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 (Malachi 1:11)
From the rising of the sun, even to its setting,/ my name is great among the nations;/ And everywhere they bring sacrifice to my name,/ and a pure offering;/ For great is my name among the nations,/ says the Lord of hosts.
Those in the west shall fear the name of the Lord,/
and those in the east, his glory. (Is 59:19a)
CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH
The daybreak from on high will visit us! (Lk 1:78)
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 this morning hour, we pray:
R/Sun of Justice, light our way.
In all our work at home or away from home,
– illumine our choices by the light of the Gospel: R/
In all our dealings with loved ones or strangers,
– enlighten our hearts with the light of your love: R/
In all our decisions,
– shed upon our path the light of your will: R/
(Personal intentions)
Our Father….
You are our light and our salvation, Lord. Through the intercession of Saint John Paul II, grant us light to see your truth, and wisdom to love what we see, that we may walk in your ways today and all the days of our life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
